I wish I had found this book before trying other more complicated and less well written recipes from other cookbooks. My talents in the kitchen are modest, at best, and while I can roast a chicken quite well thanks to Nigella Lawson that and grilled cheeses pretty much rounds out my repetoire.

This cookbook not only provides recipes that call for few, if any, exotic ingredients, it provides incredibly detailed instructions. While other cookbooks might instruct you to "cook the pasta" Mollie Katzen tells you how much water to put in your pasta pot, when to check it for doneness, how to taste test it to determine if its cooked, and instructions or whether or not the pasta should be rinsed after cooking (in most cases, it shouldn't because it removes the starches the sauces should be sticking to).

With the detailed instructions provided in this cookbook, as well as the ability to freestyle and customize with the suggestions Katzen provides in the sidebars with each recipe, I was able to fix a delicious Pasta Shells with Chickpeas and Arugula. In full disclosure, I substituted fresh baby spinach for the arugula per the sidebar suggestions and it turned out great! I can't wait to try the Mango and Chickpea Curry and the Chocolate & Peanut Butter Things.

Each chapter begins with a description of the basics concering the types of food and dishes included in the chapter and this is an enormous resource for novice cooks. While there are books like Joy of Cooking that provide an encyclopedic knowledge of food, I found such large books to be overwhleming. Get Cooking provides all the necessary information to be successful in the kitchen and, unlike many recent cookbooks, Get Cooking provides a photograph for each and every recipe.

I can't begin to tell you how much I wish I had found this cookbook last year instead of last week at the library. Although I did check this book out from the local library it is absolutely worth owning a copy as I think the recipes are absolutely worth repeating. This cookbook would also make an excellent housewarming gift. ( )

I'm one of those people who can read a cookbook just as avidly as any novel, and 'Get Cooking' is quite a read. It's designed for the beginning cook, complete with pages of what gear a kitchen needs, from knives to storage. There is even a lengthy section--with plenty of pictures--of how to chop vegetables, which would have seemed odd to me if I hadn't just had to teach a young man I know that yes, you DO need to peel a yellow onion before you slice it. Then begins the 150 simple recipes to make some cooking basics like soups and mashed potatoes. She starts with the absolute basics, then lists add ins and other ideas for a bit more flair, still keeping it as simple as possible. Which I LOVED. I've read through her 'Moosewood' books and often been frustrated by their complicated instructions or exotic ingredients. There is very little of that here, and it's confined to the 'get creative' sections of each recipe. This book is accessible to everyone, with enough tips and twists on recipes to keep a seasoned cook interested. Heck, her version of Waldorf Salad actually sounds GOOD, which is a minor miracle in my pot-luck scarred opinion. This would make a great first cookbook for a person just starting out on their own, or a great addition to anyone's bulging cookbook shelves. ( )

2.11 ( )